


An Unexpected Winter Break

by galacticmistake



Series: Senior Class of South Park [2]
Category: South Park
Genre: Blood, Eye infection, Fever, Genderfluid Kenny McCormick, Group chat, Hospital Setting, Hypothermia, ICU, Illnesses, M/M, Medication, Profanity, Seizures, South Park: The Stick of Truth, Virus, Vomiting, Winter Break
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-16
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-03 06:07:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 5,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16320575
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galacticmistake/pseuds/galacticmistake
Summary: Everyone expects this winter break to be just like any other, that is, until a new virus comes out to attack. (Takes place right after the Hills) (Genderfluid Kenny: Alternates between Kenny, KVIII (pronounced Kate), and Kai, as well as he/they/she pronouns)





	1. A Freezing Winterish Morning

**Author's Note:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII (pronounced Kate) and used she/her pronouns. Also warning for profane language.

KVIII woke up on the couch in her run-down, busted up home. Her brother Kevin, had pushed her up to a seated position, just so he could sit on the couch and watch T.V. When she woke up, she could feel her heartbeat in her head and the busted ceiling lights felt like a light guiding her to heaven (on the rare occasions that she's been). After a minute, she sat herself up using the one arm on the couch that she could access. The issue now was getting her chair and being somewhat comfortable. 

"Hey, Kev!" She shouted over the loud tv programming, "could you help a girl out?"

"Nah. I'm busy," Kevin stated sarcastically. 

Luckily, Karen was heading into the kitchen, but she stopped and took a minute to lend a hand to her big sis.

"How ya feelin?" She asked.

"Well, today's definently a KVIII day. Also, what time is it?"

"8:45. Why?"

"shit. I have to leave to pick up Butters."

Karen ran into the kitchen. Within a matter of seconds, a Pop-Tart packet was yote into Kevin's face. 

"AT LEAST EAT SOMETHING BEFORE YOU LEAVE, KVIII!"

"I'M NOT HUNGRY!" KVIII shouted as the front door slammed.

□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□□

Kyle sat on the sofa with his younger brother, Ike, as the two ate sugary cereal and watched cartoons. This was something he couldn't do for a while, so it was nice to be able to revel in old pleasures. Although eating cereal with a cast on one's dominant arm could be troublesome. 

"Hey, bruh. You know it's like 9am, right? You might want to start on your AP work." Ike indicated to the ginger.

"Can't. I'm leaving soon. I made plans with Stan."

"In that case, you might want to leave now."

Luckily, Kyle was already dressed. He sprinted up from the couch, grabbed his phone, and walked over to meet someone he didn't particularly like.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Eric wasn't doing that much aside from lounging around on the couch and eating snack cakes. Yes. Snack cakes. What an appropriate breakfast. The TV was playing some sort of WWE match, but that was only to fill the room with sound. 

The front door began to knock, prompting Eric to slide down from the couch and slither to the door. When it opened, it did so to a green Russian-esque hat.

"Come on. Let's go."

"What time even is it?" Cartman pondered.

"It's 9:30. Get a move on."

"Give me a sec. I'm not dressed." 

The door slammed shut on Kyle's face. Oh well, he thought, at least it didn't hit the cast.

After 10 minutes of waiting, Cartman emerged from the door, and the two high school seniors walked off to the city.

▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪▪

10am. That was the time displayed on the computer Butters was using in the public library. Of course, he didn't care about the time. Rather, the scarred blond was more focused on the screen depicting something educational. Something for a winter assignment. 

He checked the group chat again when he logged on, so at around 10:01, he logged off, grabbed his bag, and walked outside. He was being picked up by his datemate, so he mainly looked out for an orange parka and a wheelchair. 

10:06 finally hit when KVIII showed up, ready to sneak her dear boy off to escape whatever the hell was going on at his house. The two swiftly left the fading library behind them.

{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{

10:15am. Stan Marsh sat himself up in his bed. A nurse had checked his vitals not to long ago, and he had practically nothing to do. So, he turned on the TV and flipped to a news station covering a trick done by a cute puppy. The only thing to do now was to wait.

##################################

10:21am. Kyle, Cartman, Butters, and KVIII all stood outside the doors of Hells Pass Hospital. Nodding to each other, the automatic doors opened to let them in.


	2. Awkward...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns. 
> 
> Warnings: Hospital setting, profanity, brief mentions of teenage drinking, death, descriptions of injuries

5 boys in one hospital room. 1 confined to a bed, 1 stuck in a wheelchair, the other 3 standing and surrounding the bed. Things were about to get ugly. 

"What. The. Fuck. Stan?" Kyle shouted in disbelief. "What. The serious. Fuck."

"What?" Stan replied. 

"I don't think you fully understand what your drinking does to your friends."

"It makes me more outgoing. What's the issue?"

Cartman fidgeted with the tape and gauze on his nose. Butters peeled the medical tape off of his eyebrow. 

"That's the issue. You never think of the consequences of your actions. It's always either you or someone else getting hurt. LOOK AT KVIII, FOR EXAMPLE! SHE'S LUCKY SHE'S NOT DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU!"

"Woah, Kyle. Don't bring me into this." KVIII said in shock. 

"You get the point, though, right?"

"Don't patronize me, Kyle. I get it." Stan stated.

"Do you? Do you really?"

"Get out."

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

"So. Who wants ice cream?" pondered Butters. "I have $50 that my aunt sent me last night."

"Eh. Why not?"


	3. Ice Cream From Hell

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns.
> 
> Warning: Brief clown mask mention

The air was cold, just as one would expect at an ice cream parlor. The red and white stripes on the wall were also to be expected, but no one expected Christmas decorations to be up so early. Or for the news to be playing on the television. 

But that's exactly what Kyle, Cartman, Butters, and KVIII got when they all entered. It took them all a while to finally get adjusted to the odd atmosphere of the parlor, and when they did, that didn't make it any less unsettling. Not that it had clown masks hanging on the wall or anything, but the color scheme was odd. 

After a few minutes at looking at the menu, they all came to a consensus on what they were ordering, but there was no one in sight to take their orders. So, the 4 just stared at each other awkwardly. 

}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}

After about 40 minutes, the 4 finally got their orders. Kyle ordered a plain vanilla, KVIII ordered strawberry, Butters got chocolate chip cookie dough, and Cartman got a banana split topped with hot fudge and peanuts. 

For the most part, everything was quiet. Kyle stared angrily at Cartman's ice cream dish, aware of the cost of the split. Butters and KVIII stared longingly into each other's eyes, mainly because KVIII was spacing out because of a high fever and Butters may or may not have been attempting to regain her attention. 

And that's when disaster struck. 

Out of nowhere, KVIII just left. No one was sure what provoked her. There was only a small dent in her ice cream bowl. It took another 30 minutes before Kyle began to investigate.  

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

After only 10 minutes, both Kyle and KVIII came back, however, the 2 seemed pretty quiet, as though they had seen something that no one was supposed to see. It didn't help that KVIII looked kinda pale and shaky, as if the parka covering her didn't provide enough warmth in the Colorado winter.

Kyle slammed $20 by the cash register as the 4 exited the parlor. 


	4. It Couldn't Get Worse

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns. 
> 
> Warning: Depiction of a seizure

The chilled wind of the town rushed through, freezing everyone it surrounded. This was even more evident amongst the main group of 4. Among them, 1 felt really nothing towards the cold due to his size, 2 were mildly shivering, and 1 was so exhausted that she paid no mind to the weather.

As the group happily walked (or in other cases, rolled) along the sidewalks of the city, a light snowfall began, diverting the attention of the 4 high school seniors. 

All of a sudden, a clattering could be heard, followed by stumbling and the sounds of a near-miss landing. The 3 who were standing glanced over and saw a man, about 40, who awkwardly glanced at them with embarrassment.

"Please let your friend know that that was purely accidental." he stammered. "I'm terribly sorry."

He took off without saying another word. Kyle, Butters, and Cartman stared at each other, wondering exactly what the hell had happened. And then a sudden movement from below had given them a clue.

"Hey, something just lightly smacked my leg!" exclaimed Butters.

"It's probably nothing to worry about." replied Cartman. 

"Ummmm, y'all? It's pretty bad." Kyle said nervously. 

The 2 other boys looked down, and the state of their orange clad friend left them shocked.

Down on the lightly snow dusted pavement of the sidewalk, there she lay, violently convulsing. That alone would have been terrifying, but what made it worse was that no one knew how to react. 

"Dude, what do we do?"

"Oh no. I remember, but this looks serious. She'll hate us for this, but we have to go back to Hell's Pass. I feel like they might be able to help us more."

"Well, how do we stop it?"

"We can't. We just have to wait for it to pass, and Hell's Pass might be the safest option."

Cartman hoisted her into his arms, unwisely positioning her onto her back. Butters grabbed the chair that lay crumpled and most likely broken and proceeded to fold it to make it easier to carry and transport. 

The 3 ran off with 1 in their arms and a folded up wheelchair.


	5. E.R. Drama

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns, but is misgendered for medical purposes. 
> 
> Warning: Hospital setting, blood mention, depiction of a seizure, foul language, vomit mention.

Two doctors sat outside of the empty general E.R area in Hell's Pass, eating Snickers bars and drinking coffee that was left cold for 2 hours in the rush of a 3 car collision and a home improvement gone wrong. For the most part, there was no sound, aside from the obvious from the consumption of sugar and caffeine. 

All of a sudden, the doors slammed open, but no doctors ran through. Just 4 teenagers, 1 of whom was in the middle of a seizure and being carried by someone who obviously had no experience with this type of situation. 

"No, dude. Just no. You're not supposed to carry her on her back. That'll just make it worse."

"Oh yeah? If you know all about this, then why don't you carry him?"

"ONE OF MY FUCKING ARMS IS BROKEN, YOU FAT PIECE OF SHIT!"

There was one who said nothing as the 2 argued. He was too in shock to do much except for clutching a folded wheelchair in his arms and screaming god damn bloody murder. 

This prompted the two other doctors to leave their coffee cups on the windowsill and rush into immediate action. 

"Alright, alright. Stop fighting. What's the deal, here?"

"Kenny McCormick, 17. Just started... seizing about a minute ago. He got knocked over by a dude who was probably drunk, I don't know. So, he might also have some scrapes or cuts from the impact. I also recorded an episode of vomiting about 1/2 an hour ago and he might have a fever."

"Woah, chill out kid. Are you even-"

"So, Broflovski. Welcome to your first full week as an intern. You're quite a bit early, though."

"Well," Kyle replied, "stuff happens, I guess."

"Lay him on a bed and turn him onto his side."

Cartman did just that, all while rolling his eyes and backing away in a stance that read, "Yeah, whatever, professional doctor dude." 

One of the doctors was shocked by what he saw with the pale inhabitant of the hospital bed. The boy in the orange parka had his eyes wide open, but they were... odd, to say the least. The sclera was a deep purple, almost like a bruise, and there was a bright magenta ring around the iris, which was an icy blue. 

"JOHNSON! GET ME STUFF TO DO A BLOOD DRAW AND AN EYE SWAB!"

"Why?"

"3rd case we've seen today! But I want blood work just to make sure!"

"Yeah, no prob." 

"I'll go get a thermometer. What kind do you need?"

"Forehead. It might be more accurate and easier to get a reading in this state."

"Sure thing."

Finally, the seizing stopped, and the room was left completely silent. 

Finally, Kyle came back with the forehead thermometer and looked at Cartman and Butters. 

"You 2 go wait in the waiting room. I'll grab you later and explain everything."

And off they went.


	6. Drama in the Lounge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns. 
> 
> Warning: Hospital setting, language, description of symptoms, violation of patient confidentiality

It felt lonely in the waiting room, despite there being a few others in the same room. A TV played on the wall, adjacent to where Cartman and Butters were sitting and waiting. The TV was playing some sort of gossip show, almost like what they saw after the accident not even 48 hours ago. 

Butters was racking his brain, thinking about whether or not he should fess up and tell his parents that he had snuck out of the library to visit a friend and stayed out for quite a while. Knowing his parents, they'd ground him if they found a crumb on the ground, so it probably wouldn't be the wisest desicion to tell. 

Eric, on the other hand, was bored as hell. He just wanted to get answers and to get out of this place. He didn't want to watch the garbage on TV, he had played all of the games on his phone and scrolled through all of his social media, and what could magazines offer? 

《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》《》

All of a sudden, Kyle's mom ran in with Ike.

"Do you two know where Pediatrics would be?" asked the disheveled mother.

"No. I haven't been here often." Butters anxiously replied.

She went towards the front desk, only to turn back around.

"Wait. Why are you two here?" she asked.

"A friend." Cartman said. 

"An emergency." Butters hastily replied. 

"Oh. Take care you two."

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

After a grueling 4 hours of sitting and doing practically nothing, Kyle emerged, holding a manila folder. He looked fairly tired, mainly because he was overseeing all sorts of medical mishaps and injuries. After a minute, he sat in between his 2 supposed friends.

"You wanted information, right?" Kyle asked. 

"What made you think that?" Cartman sarcastically responded.

"Shut up and listen." Kyle pulled some papers out of the folder like he was in some sort of detective TV drama. "Ok, so, you've kept up with the news today, right?"

"No."

"Let me explain. While I was prepping for one of KVIII's tests, I heard a news story from the TV in the break room. It was about some sort of virus and its symptoms. Weirdly enough, those symptoms were what KVIII was going through. High fever, lethargy, kinda a normal flu. What stands out, however, is how it affects the eyes. The sclera, the white part of the eyes, turns purple, and a magenta ring forms around the iris, the colored part. The colors deepen as the fever gets higher. They decided to call it the RotoVirus."

"Oh dang. Is KVIII gonna be alright?" Butters pondered. 

"Yeah, hopefully. I mean, once we deal with the other eye infection and all that jazz."

"Holy fuck." Cartman exclaimed. "I can't imagine having to go through an eye infection while already having a virus."

"Yeah. Pretty sucky. Anyways, my break ends in 5, so I'll chat with y'all later." Kyle said as he went back behind the ominous off white doors.


	7. Of All of the People In the Building

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns. 
> 
> Warning: Hospital setting, profane language, mention of broken bones, vomit mention.

Stan had been awoken from a semi-decent nap by the commotion of at least 3 doctors in his room. Only, they weren't really in his room, rather, they were on the other side. He moved to sit on the edge of the bed so that he might be able to hear what was going on. 

The doctors left a few minutes later. At that point, all he could hear was shallow breathing. So he pulled back the curtain. 

"KVIII?"

Her eyes flashed open as she turned her head in disgust. 

"I was sleeping, you dick nugget. What do you want?"

"Woah. Chill. I was just wondering what you were doing here. I mean, you were here earlier, but-"

"Look." she grumbled in exhaustion. "I don't know. One minute, I'm outside with the other 3. The next, I'm lying in this bed, freaking the fuck out internally, no one gives me any answers."

"Oh. That's sucky."

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

After another hour of idle conversation, a female nurse walks in, obviously with news for someone. She closes the curtain, leaving Stan unsure of what was going on. She left after about 10 minutes, and that furthered Stan's curiosity. The raven haired boy snuck into the other side, careful not to catch his friend off guard. 

"So?" he asked.

"Hope I get out soon." she replied, but not before falling asleep. 

So, Stan nudged her shoulder. No response. He thought about jumping on her bed, but she was so skinny that she might fly out of the bed and break a bone. He reached a finger towards her sunken in cheek.

"Stanley Marsh, touch my face and I'll fucking harvest your toes." 

"Wait. Hold on. What?"

"I'm on antibiotics. Don't touch me."

"Oh. You could have just said that."

"It wouldn't have scared you."

"Fair point." 

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

10:30 pm. Stan was watching a reality show on his phone. He wasn't sure how he would sleep, not after being with KVIII for 3 hours as she violently vomited in the room's toilet. She hadn't even eaten much. It was just a sip of water that triggered it. Luckily, Kyle rushed in and alerted a nurse, which led to them finding out that KVIII was given the wrong medication and would start her course of antibiotics the following morning. 

"Hey, Stan. You still up?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Of every patient in the pediatric ward, why was I put with you?"

"Fuck if I know. Go to sleep."


	8. Group Chat (1)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by Kai and uses they/them pronouns 
> 
> Warning: profanity, implied vomit mention

Sunday, 12:30am

Kai: Kyle.

Kai: Kyyyyyle

Kyle: WHAT 

Kai: I left my homework at my house. Can you drop it off with me before your shift tomorrow? Please?

Kyle: No. Go to sleep. 

Kai: I'll hang out with you and Ike on Christmas, if I get out. If I'm not out, I'll order you Chinese food.

Kyle: You had me at Chinese food. 

Kai: hehehe 

Kyle: You sly dog. Sure, I'll bring it. Actually, I'll send it with someone. I have a meeting with newspaper club.

Cartman: fuckin nerd

Kyle: Shut up before I break your nose. Again.

Cartman: You wouldn't. 

Kyle: I've killed people before. Don't interest me. You cumfucking dickpig.

Stan: What the fuck is going on? I'm trying to sleep. 

Cartman: Woah, Kahl. Let's not fight hate with hate. 

Kyle: You called me a nerd.

Kyle: Asshole.

Butters: ???????

Kai: Damn it, Butercup! Go to sleep! You need it! 

Butters: Can't sleep, actually. Folks are fast asleep, so I might sneak downstairs and eat cereal while watching infomercials. 

Kai: Cool plan. 

Butters: How are you feeling? You know, after.... tonight?

Kai: ...did Stan tell you?

Butters: No. Kyle messaged me.

Kyle: I was freaking out too. Thought you would want to know.

Butters: I had to shower after reading that text. 

Stan: Imagine it in person.

Butters: I NEED TO TAKE A BATH IN BLEACH BRB

(Butters has logged off)

Kai: I hope he's not serious. Poor guy. 

Kyle: Yeah. Me too. 

Kai: Sorry...

Kyle: No. It's my fault for giving you the wrong medication. I had no idea what that pill looked like. 

Kai: I don't blame you. 

(Cartman has logged off)

(Stan has logged off)

Kyle: Go to sleep, pal. You need it. 

(Kyle has logged off)

(Kai has logged off)


	9. Crashed By Craig's Gang

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by Kai and uses they/them pronouns 
> 
> Warning: Hospital setting, profanity,  brief mention of a car accident

The door opened at around 9am. The sounds of footsteps, crutches, and shallow, anxious breathing filled the room. Someone pulled the curtain back. 

Kai groaned as the lights grew brighter as they opened their eyes. Above them was a sea of heads that seemed vaguely familiar. 

"What on God's green Earth are you 5 doing here?" asked Stan from the other side of the room. "It's 9am. No one else is awake."

"Had time to kill," replied a boy with brown hair as he fidgeted with a red varsity jacket. "We're getting donuts later, if you want to come."

"Can't. I'm here for a bit." Stan replied dryly. "Not my choice."

"Actually, i-if you think a-ab-about it, it is your fault." remarked a boy with braces. He seemed familiar to Kai, but who can recognise voices and connect them to faces at 9am?

"Shut the fuck up, Jimmy." Ah, that deep, dry voice. Craig Tucker. Easy as pie to tell. As per usual, Tweek was on his arm. He was stressed, they could tell. I mean, hospitals could be stressful for anyone. 

Kai didn't reply, but the metaphorical tea that Jimmy Valmer spilled was pretty hot. I mean, why else would they be unable to sit up without a remote connected to a bed? Why else have they not been able to sleep?

The bed whirred to indicate that Kai was finally awake enough to make sense of their surroundings. As they sat up, Token, who hadn't spoken a word since Craig's gang entered the room, shot a look that either said, "You alright, ma dude?" or "Are you going to eat that?" referring to the pudding cup on the bedside table. 

To be honest, Kai couldn't tell. Token did seem kinda vague, but then again, who knew? Maybe he was. It was hard to tell. 

||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||

It was the longest hour of their lives, but at last, they left. The room was eerily silent again, minus the beeping and whirring of the machines.


	10. Group Chat (2)

Monday, 9:30pm

Kyle: Why aren't Stan and Kai in the group chat?

Butters: Because. I got cleared by my parents to visit Kai tomorrow, so I've have an idea. Kyle, since you have tomorrow off, you can help. 

Kyle: Ok. What do I have to do?

Butters: We should wear our costumes from Wizards and Elves. 

Kyle: Oh sick! Going to cheer up Stan and Kai in the hospital as wizards and elves? Sweetness! 

Cartman: lame. 

Butters: Oh, come on, Eric. Don't you want that sweet taste of power you had as Grand Wizard?

Cartman: ....

Cartman: Fine. I'll be in my costume. See ya at Hell's Pass at 12pm tomorrow.


	11. Entrance of the Princess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, Kenny goes by KVIII and uses she/her pronouns.
> 
> Warning: Hospital setting

The wind blew in from the west. In front of the doors, High Jew Elf, Paladin Butters, and Grand Wizard Cartman. Behind them, a crowd of wizards, elves, warriors, and many other battle classes. The clocks read 12:15pm as the sun sat high. The blond paladin entered first, holding a package for 2 very vital members. 

○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○○

Stan opened the door. He expected a nurse or one of the younger residents in awe of a teenager, not Butters dressed up in his Paladin outfit. 

"Hey, Stan," he said, handing him the Warrior outfit, "Put this on and meet me in the teen hangout."

Stan reluctantly obliged, shoving the blond to the other side of the room. 

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Just a few moments later, the young paladin burst out of the room, holding the princess in his arms. She looked quite confused, but as long as she was with someone she knew, she had a good  feeling about whatever was going on. 

However, those feelings were not long lasting. 

When she locked eyes with the Grand Wizard, she knew it was probably something that would cause her or others some amount of inconvenience. But, she put that all aside after seeing the crowd of other kids. 

If this was going to be the highlight of her winter break, then so be it.


	12. Nighttime Disaster

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note: In this chapter, and until further notice, Kenny is referred to with he/him pronouns. 
> 
> Warning: Hospital setting, depiction of a seizure, medication mention, strangers
> 
> Disclaimer: I am not a doctor and I was too lazy to research this, so don't take anything in this seriously. Do not use this piece of fiction as solid medical advice.

It seemed like his spirits rose after the visit. Kenny had been feeling a lot better, even if it wasn't because of that. Just knowing he had the support of his acquaintances made this stay a lot easier to bear. 

In fact, 5 days before Christmas, he was almost ready to leave. That is, at least, until a change was made.

**************************************

For some unfathomable reason, they decided to test how this complicated antiviral medication would work with an over the counter pain killer/fever reducer. 

At first, it went alright. Kenny didn't even notice that something had changed.

But, throughout the day, he became more lethargic, falling asleep at least every hour, it seemed. 

The world seemed to burn, feeling more like hell than a Colorado hospital in the winter. 

So far, the opposite of what was supposed to happen. However, nothing would bring more of a shock than late night. 

<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>

The time was 2am, now 4 days before Christmas. Stan woke up to someone yelling, but they didn't seem angry. They seemed... anxious almost. As if there was something that told them to leave. When Stan turned to his side, he found an empty bed. The covers were on the ground.

Something was terribly wrong. 

So, he sprinted up and out of bed and down the halls. This pursuit led him out of the building all together. 

And then, out of nowhere, he heard a car crash into something, followed by a thud. Stan cautiously inched towards the car.

A man with shaggy, long brown hair and a light grey hoodie stepped out, freaking out. He spotted Stan just as Stan spotted him.

"Is this your friend?" asked the man, causing Stan to tiptoe towards the car.

"Can't tell. Too dark."

The man pulled a flashlight out of his pocket and turned it on, revealing that the person hit by the car was, in fact, Stan's friend.

"I'll drive you boys back. Where'd you come from?"

"Hell's Pass. I'll get him in."

The man stepped out in front of the vehicle, only to find the other teen in question convulsing on the ground.

"Hey, kid. Hurry up."

■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■

The car ride only lasted 5 minutes, but Stan was glad that a complete stranger saw his struggle and offered to help.   
Sure, it could have ended worse, but he was grateful that this was one of those times where it didn't. 

Stan found himself standing outside the doors of the ICU. He wasn't sure of what would happen to his friend, and it worried him. 

A doctor happened to be walking by, so she stopped and quelled his fears. 

"Are you related to the McCormick kid?"

"No. Just a friend of mine."

"Ok. I think I can tell you, then. The current experiment ended pretty horribly. I ended up scolding one of the scientists. Yo, Smith! What did we learn?"

"Don't mix antiviral drugs with over the counter pain killers." shouted another doctor from the other side of the hall.

"What happened?" Stan asked.

"The fever shot up. A lot. So, we took him off of ibuprofen and we're pushing the antiviral, since he made progress soely on that."

"Huh."

"Wait. You're the Marsh kid Broflovski told me about?"

"Yeah... why?"

"We're discharging you today. Get your stuff."

##################################

With a suitcase packed and bus money in his pocket, Stan was just about ready to leave. However, he had one last thing to do.

He left a note under the doors of the ICU, in hopes that someone would pass it along to his friend.


	13. Cheese and Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Refrence to hospital setting, medication reference, possible hypothermia.

Kyle was just minding his business watching TV when he heard a knock on his door. So, he felt obliged to get up and open it.

Stan was standing on the front steps, soaking in the pouring rain with tears streaked down his face.

"Get inside."

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It took a while, but finally, Stan was finally dried off and comfortable. He was wearing a spare pair of pajamas that Kyle had laid out, and was curled up in a fuzzy blanket. 

Kyle brought out a cheese platter with some additional grapes and Gala apple slices. He sat down next to his super best friend, and turned the TV off.

"You seem calmer now. You can tell me what happened."

It took a minute, but finally, Stan spit it all out. Everything. From the new experiment, to running into a stranger, and finally, the outcome of all of it. By the end, he was a wreck. Luckily, he had someone like Kyle to navigate him through all of the turmoil. 

"Do you want me to tell my mom? She might be able to get the word out to Carol and Stuart."

Stan grabbed a slice of cheese. "Sure. I just... don't want the town to blow up over this. I know Ken wouldn't want anyone to worry about him."

"I know. But, this is for his good."


	14. Overdrive

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: ICU setting, medication mention, possibility of character death

As Kyle walked in at 6am, he was grateful for his placement. Today, he was working in the ICU, just jumping around and doing anything he could to de-stress the other nurses and doctors. 

Or, at least, that's what he said he would do.

The only reason he was going into the ICU for work was because of Kenny. After Stan confided in him at 2am, Kyle decided that he needed to do whatever he could to save his friend. 

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After about 2 hours, Kyle had a game plan. It mostly consisted of pumping the antiviral through his friend's veins in hopes of reducing the fever, which for the most part worked. 

He only had one hope for his friend: live long enough to wake up on Christmas day.


	15. That Fateful Morning

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Hospital setting

Finally. Christmas day.

Kenny woke up in his old room. Considering that he was in a medically induced coma for the past few days, the setting came as a shock to him.

His mom sat in one of the visitor chairs while Karen and Kevin stood by the window, each holding a small gift and looking at a screen. Karen was watching the snow fall, Kevin was looking at memes, and Carol was texting Stuart in glee. 

As much as Kenny wanted to bolt up and hug his family, he couldn't, which made him kinda sad. He had so much love to give to his family for sticking by him. Actually, he was surprised that they got him gifts at all, considering their financial situation.

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As the 4 sat in Kevin's old, rusted car, Kenny finally had the energy to open his gifts. Kevin made him a little cat charm for his keychain, Karen made him a friendship bracelet with the colors of the genderfluid flag, and Carol gave him a can of pineapples. Not much, but all from the heart. Just the way he wanted it. 

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Christmas dinner was a rotisserie chicken, a can of green beans, and leftover salad from the Drama Convention. Kenny had old Christmas music playing on his phone in the background as they all caught up. 

He knew others had more plentiful holidays, but he wouldn't trade his family for the world.


End file.
